Okay – I will admit it – I like classical music (can you believe it?) …. I find it soothing and it’s great music to relax to. In fact, while I was in college I was taking several music classes – mostly Chamber music and Opera. So, when I heard that Yanni was coming out with a new album; one that featured up-and-coming young adult singers I got excited. Finally – classical music is getting more mainstream and popular!

Yanni Voices features the talents of not only famed singer Yanni, but also the talented voices of Nathan Pacheco, Chloe, Ender Thomas, and Leslie Mills. This is a BEAUTIFUL cd and I can safely say (once I figure out the lyrics) I will be sure to be singing along in my car (look for me on the highway – I’ve got a sunroof and I can sing loud! lol).

My favorite song on the disk? Mi Todo Eres Tu (Until the Last Moment) takes that cake because I love LOVE powerful operatic duets. (I gotta say I miss singing with my friend Jon back in college!) Chloe and Ender’s voices work SO well together.

Nathan Pacheco is a Washington DC native of Brazilian descent. Nathan is an opera trained tenor who sings with the warmth of the great pop artists.

A native of Largo, Florida, Chloe has been dancing since she was three, as well as singing, playing guitar and writing not long after that and by the age of nine Chloe was performing professionally.

Venezuelan born and bred Ender grew up in a musical family. His influences varied across a wide range of music; from traditional romantic boleros to the positive pop music of the Disney musicals.

Leslie Mills, a native of Fort Mitchell in northern Kentucky discovered an affinity for music early on, studying piano, dance and theater and writing poetry as a child, only to combine music and lyrics after high school into “actual songwriting.” Leslie reminds me a lot (vocally) of Amy Grant.

You can purchase the Yanni Voices cd/dvd combo from Amazon for only $12.49. You can learn more about the Yanni Voices at their official website.

I’m really excited about how easy it is to watch just about anything you want to watch on the Internet now. As a mom who relies heavily on her DVR because she has zero time to sit and watch shows – this whole Internet television experience is right up my ally. A website that I hadn’t heard of before – Cozmo.tv – aims to introduce people to better television content via widgets and keyword-based searches.

One really cool series I think all mom’s with tween or teen girls should check out (and make their girls check out) is called "Smart Girls at the Party" and stars Amy Poehler (of SNL and Baby Mama fame – she’s hilarious), Meredith Walker and Amy Miles. These three women take the time to celebrate girls who are changing the world by being themselves.

"I’m wearing a fancy scarf because this is a serious show" – Amy Poehler

It’s an awesome web show that shows Amy interviewing smart and beautiful young girls who are incredibly talented. The show is really funny and will quickly catch the eye of tween girls. It shows how "smart girls have more fun" – it’s a great message for young girls!

Check out the widget below this post – and if you would like to check out all the webisodes visit the ONNETWORKS Website. There is also a blog written by the Amy’s and Meredith that features an inspiring all-female "Hall of Fame" along with an "Ask Amy" section and music tidbits. Girl Power! (yes, I totally just channeled the Spice Girls for a second!)

The popular 60′s “rock band” The Banana Splits is back and better than ever! I’ve only seen the show in repeats obviously; but what a FUN show! The Banana Splits band (if you aren’t aware) includes Fleegle (a dog), Drooper (a lion), Bingo (a gorilla) and Snorky (an elephant).

The original show debut in 1968 with the furry ‘fab four’ playing hosts on “The Banana Splits Adventure Hour” created by Hanna-Barbera. It featured comedy shorts and music videos with that great groovy 60′s vibe of course! The new show has been updated for today’s kids – but will still be quite groovy!

You can also check out the brand new Banana Splits website! Is super cute and has lots of activities to check out. There is a jokes section, music, a secret code (shh!) and even a club that doesn’t even require you to put in any of your child’s personal information, just a name so you can print out his or her very own membership card! You will find comedy videos on the site also filled with lots of laughs and lots of music.

Soon enough there will be some merch you can get including DVD’s, music cd’s and you will also even be able to catch the Banana Splits in CONCERT!

The Banana Splits show will be running in Cartoon Network beginning September 2nd between the hours of 9am and 2pm. Check your local listings!

I had the opportunity to get a copy of a neat DVD called “TripFLIX” to review! TripFLIX is over two hours long and features twenty-five destinations, interactive trivia, games and even a blooper reel!

You start out on the menu with a map of the US where you have to choose your “Starting region” followed by your “Destination region” – you can choose from North, South. Since I live in Virginia, I chose “South” and since I would rather not venture out too far I also chose “South” as my destination! The video goes through various places that you can visit in the region including the Baltimore Orioles baseball field; “Rock City” in Georgia and space camp. I can think of a million other places to visit in the south but I’m FROM the south, so I guess I have that advantage!

Some other featured spots include Coney Island in New York, Atlantic City in Jersey (including Lucy the Elephant which our family has seen!), the Alamo in Texas, Metropolis (yes, think Superman) in Illinois, Mount Rushmore, Sea World, and the St. Louis Arch.

The movie kept my son’s attention for a bit; although he did start wandering around after about 20 minutes. I think that the movie would most likely be better for older kids (maybe older than 5 or 6) because the activities at each “attraction” are more geared towards those ages and above. All in all; the movie was cute; the two teen hosts were funny and I gleaned a lot of information from it. I could’ve done without the slightly annoying “trivia” sections between each feature … but, that might just be because I didn’t know ANY of the answers. I have to admit though that this movie was pretty cute and I did learn some new things. I have a bunch of new ideas where I’d like to visit (and take my kid) now also – so, mission accomplished!

You can get your own copy of TripFlix by visiting their website at www.tripflix.com and you can also view the “Grownups Guide” here!

Okay now; anyone who has been reading this blog for awhile knows I am a HUGE music fan – I have been listening to “anything and everything” for pretty much my entire life (thanks Mom!) In fact, what seems like a million-internet years ago I used to have a music lyrics website; then I got lazy and decided to close it because I didn’t have the time to maintain it – especially when I started blogging! Plus, there are many many other avenues of obtaining music on the ‘net!

While doing my daily “scan” of the internet I came across a really cool website called www.991.com that promises to bring you rare cd’s and singles along with rare vinyl records and memorabilia (omg, yes, Vinyls!!). These items can fetch a pretty penny now; imagine … leafing through your mom’s old record collection and finding an original Sgt. Pepper record (mint, including the “poster” thing inside) and thinking … man, what a great album! Back in the 1980’s it wasn’t thought to be much, but that album is worth well over $300 now!

I’m sorta kicking myself because back in the mid-80′s my cousins lived across the street from Robi Rosa (either during or before “Menudo” fame). He also had a solo career and collaborated with former Menudo bandmate Ricky Martin on some of his big hits! Talk about a “connection” right? Alas … no autographs were asked for … But can you imagine?

I think about a band I know now (well, I know one of the singers actually – have since high school). I’ve got yearbooks with this person’s photo, photo’s of this person, not to mention I purchased their demo LP off their website when it came out (I also have a poster which I hope my friend will sign for me along with his band-mates). Imagine the garage band you followed in high school hitting it BIG (which I know they will) and years from now what original photos and LP’s would be worth? Maybe in 20 – 30 years I will find my friend’s music on 991.com!

One particular band I did a search for while on the website was Nirvana … I LOVE me some Nirvana! I have a lot of their stuff, including a couple rare ones. (I don’t plan on parting with them any time soon either!) I was really excited to see that 991.com had the 1998 vinyl release of “Nevermind” (you know, the album that single handedly ushered in the Grunge era?) What a cool find! 991.com also has the rare “Hormoaning” cd (6 tracks) that was sent to Japanese radio stations back in 1992. Very cool website – tons of variety; be sure to check it out!

Danity Kane (y’know, the girls from P. Diddy’s “Making the Band”) have hit the stores with their sophomore album, “Welcome to the Dollhouse.” Their new album is set to be a huge hit with songs such as “Bad Girl” (featuring Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot [I LOVE Missy!]), and the title track featuring P. Diddy himself. I gotta say, their harmonies are awesome, these girls can SING!

If you’d like to check out some behind the scenes with DK, Wal-Mart is sponsoring “Souncheck” which is an original performance series where you get up close and personal with your favorite artists. Check out live performances and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from original in-studio sets – all filmed exclusively in HD. Log on to www.walmart.com/soundcheck for headlining acts, noteworthy new artists and all the latest music releases.

You can watch the video for “Damaged” right here (HOT! – although they look like they are channeling N’Sync at the beginning, lol):